Archangel 1918 - 1919

[Doug504]

Can any members recommend a good book detailing activities in the Archangel area 1918 - 1919.

My grandfather was a very lucky man, (or unlucky, depends on your viewpoint), was wounded 3 times whilst serving in the infantry on the Western Front and transferred to R.A.M.C. 1918, after being judged as unfit for further infantry service. Subsequently served in Archangel area 1918 - 1919.

I've read "Tunnel Master and Arsonist", the story of John Norton Griffiths which describes some events but I'm looking for a more detailed history of this campaign.

Doug.

[seaJane]

Haven't read any of these but you might try:

At War With The Bolsheviks, Robert Jackson, London 1972

Churchill's Crusade: The British Invasion of Russia 1918-1920, Clifford Kinvig, London 2006.

An account of a Royal Navy trip to North Russia on a hospital ship, June - October 1919 - http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bardenweb/

North Russian Expeditionary Force 1919, The Journal and Photographs of Yeoman of Signals George Smith, Royal Navy http://www.naval-history.net/WW1z05NorthRussia.htm

sJ

[Staffsyeoman]

Suppprting recommendation for Kinvig. It is the best book on the subject in the last thirty years.

There's another book whose authors (both journalists) momentarily elude me - "The Day We Almost Bombed Moscow".

I would warn against Field Marshal Lord Ironside's "Archangel 1919" - it was written over 20 years after the fact and is packed with self justification.

[Dolphin]

The Day we Almost Bombed Moscow was written by Christopher Dobson and John Miller

You could also try:

Anzacs in Arkhangel by Michael Challinger and Forgotten Valour by Peter Quinlivian - both are centred on the Australians, but get across the story of the intervention;

The Ignorant Armies by E M Halliday covers the US contribution;

Intervention in Russia by Miles Hudson is a reasonable general history; and

An Air Fighter's Scrapbook by Ira 'Taffy' Jones has a chapter on the RAF's part in the North Russian Relief Force.

I hope this is useful.

Gareth

[paullucas01]

Evacuation of Russia 1919 - https://archive.org/details/armyevacuationof00greauoft

[Doug504]

Thanks to all for the suggestions, I'll browse the booksellers and see what deals I can find.

doug.

[Chris_Baker]

Do you know which unit he served with, Doug? Most of the Archangel unit war diaries exist. I have copies of quite a few from some work I was doing on this last year (I gave two talks on it at my WFA branch in December 2012 and 2013).

[paullucas01]

Did you come across any information on the Lithuanians sent from Scotland or the Slavo-British Legion ?

[Doug504]

Do you know which unit he served with, Doug? Most of the Archangel unit war diaries exist. I have copies of quite a few from some work I was doing on this last year (I gave two talks on it at my WFA branch in December 2012 and 2013).

His service records are rather confusing, well they are to me!, but a summary would be

Thomas Young - 388619 7th DLI

6/1016 - wounded GSW shoulder

13/1016 - rejoined unit

28/10/16- wounded shell fragment cheeks, (face or other cheek not sure!, although I remember grandad only having one ear!) Joined No. 8 Ambulance Train.

4/11/ 16 - No 1 Australian ????????, Rouen

To England H.S. Asturias

31/3/17 Posted 7th DLI Etaples

19/5/17 Evacuated Syno. Knee

2/6/ 17 Etaples

11/6/17 - hospital ship to England "Princess Elizabeth", posted to 5th reserve Bat. D.L.I. (273158)

25/12/17 - transferred to R.A.M.C. Blackpool, 2nd Training battalion

15/2/18 - Posted to 10th coy. R.A.M.C. Chatham

3/9/18 - Posted to R.A.M.C. Depot Blackpool

6/12/18 - HMS Stephen? - Archangel, 53rd stationary Hospital.

7/2/19 - awarded 28 days F.P. No. 1 for not complying with the orders of an N.C.O, (obviously a bit of a wild card in his day, previously whilst in D.L.I. he went AWOL for a while before rejoining unit, and was also charged for "fighting in the ranks"- I remember him as a very quiet man who loved his garden shed and allotment!).

I'm trying to put together a more detailed picture of his service hence the interest in the events in Russia.

Doug.

[seaJane]

Chris,

Any sign of Surgeon Cdr E. L. Atkinson, RN in those Archangel war diaries? I'd be glad to know.

[Chris_Baker]

seaJane: I will PM you about Atkinson. I know a lot about him.

AllanD: it looks from that as though he served with 53 Stationary Hospital. It has a war diary at the National Archives, reference WO95/5431.

Paul Lucas: only general infor on the Slavo-British. Other than they fact they were formed, I have not delved into them. Lithuanians, no.

[IJA]

My paternal grandfather George ALDOUS Pte 26729 was in the DLI initially he was in the 14th Bat from 1916 but sometime later he was transfered to the 2/7th Bat and served in Russia.

I have two fairly good photos of a formal group of 60 men of the DLI, captioned on the back in Georg's handwriting " Taken at Smolny North Russia April 27th 1919". One shows the men in conventional uniform, the other in what I would describe as artic uniform.

There are also 11 smaller photos, I think taken by him of street scenes in Russia and several of troops on parades. I also have an original of "The American Sentinel" dated May 1919 which was published in Russia for their troops, it does mention the British.

If any one is interested in any of this please get in touch via a PM and I can send high resolution copies by e-Mail.

Any information on George would be appreciated. I have his two medals but they were wrongly inscribed with ALDONS rather than ALDOUS and he was so disgusted that they remain in their original box complete with the registered package in which they were sent to him.

I have his cardboard dog tags which have his correcr details so it was probably some clerk in the war offic who transcribed it wrongly!

Ian

[Westinghouse]

My great grandfather was in Archangel in 1918-1919, also in the RAMC

[wrightdw]

53rd Stationary Hospital was one of several RAMC establishments which served with the North Russia Expeditionary Force, Archangel Command (as opposed to Murmansk Command) 1918-19.